Sunday, January 17, 2010

FLINT TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- The Flint Islamic Center will host a fundraiser at 2:30 p.m. today at the center to raise relief money for the Haitian tragedy.

The local effort is part of a $1 million campaign among Islamic centers nationwide by the charity group, Islamic Relief, to help victims of Tuesday's earthquake.

More than 300 families, or nearly 1,000 people, are members of the local congregation where organizers have pledged to raise $5,000-$10,000 after weekly Friday prayers today, said Abed Khirfan, of the center's management committee. (More)

UPPER DARBY -- Repeating an act of kindness exhibited in times of devastation nine years ago, the Masjid Al-Madinah mosque plans to hold a fundraiser Jan. 22 for the victims of the Haitiearthquake, similar to what it did for 9/11.

When congregants come to services today, they will be informed of a monetary collection that will be taken from 12:30-2 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the 6800 Ludlow St. facility.

“This is a human cause,” Abu Rahman, senior member of the mosque, said. “When people suffer, you help those who are suffering. Help the needy. Who has fallen, pick him up.”

Rahman likened the effort to that of the mosque’s younger members in 2001. A month after the attacks, youths between the ages of 5 and 22 sold hot dogs and pizza in front of the mosque to raise money for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. (More)

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Masjid Al-Madinah at 6800 Ludlow St. in Upper Darby will host a fundraiser for the Haiti earthquake victims from 12:30-2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22.

For more details, contact the mosque’s president, Kamal Rahman, at 610-356-9890 orKrahman@comcast.net.

(Alexandria, VA) -- Islamic Relief USA, America’s largest Muslim relief organization, has announced that it will fly a $1 million shipment of aid to those impacted by yesterday’s earthquake in Haiti. That relief aid will be sent in coordination with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

CHICAGO (CBS) - Islamic rights advocates say there's been a rise in the number of threats directed at local Muslims. And some of these threats are being delivered right to their doors. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports.

When Ahmed Rehab walks up to his suburban home these days it's with a new sense of awareness. That's because of what he found waiting for him in his mailbox just a few days ago, a postmarked typewritten hate-filled letter complete with a death threat.

"At the end of the letter it stated, 'the only good Arab is a DEAD Arab,'" said Rehab.

Rehab is the Executive Director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR. (More)

The effort to establish a Muslim center on Naperville's eastern edge was dealt a thumbs-down this week, but officials overseeing the plan are not giving up.

The DuPage County Board on Tuesday voted 10-7 against granting a conditional use permit for the facility on 75th Street east of Naper Boulevard. The center would serve about 30 families, most of them longtime residents of the western suburbs, who do not now have a nearby worship site.

Some of the neighbors near the 3-acre property lobbied the board to turn down the request, saying it would hinder their quality of life. They also maintained that the capacity limits and hours of operation stated in the application would be ignored.

Online polls conducted by The Sun have found varying support among readers for the center. The non-scientific surveys have included one taken this week in which 64 out of 101 respondents said a learning center would be easier to accept if it weren't to be used by Muslims. Opponents of the plan say it has nothing to do with race or religion.

Immediately after the board's decision, the applicants said they intend to continue pressing the request, probably taking the issue to court.

"This is not done," said Mahmood Ghassemi, chairman of the Irshad Learning Center board.

Before the day was out, the matter had been handed to the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which advocates for religious freedom and civil liberties in the Muslim community.

"It seems that the fight's not over, and they will try to appeal the decision," Amina Sharif, the nonprofit's communications coordinator, said Thursday. "We will be representing them through the appeals process." (More)

(CLEVELAND, OH, 1/15/2010) - The Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Ohio office (CAIR-Ohio) met recently with human rights attorneys and law students from the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School who are working on prison abuse issues. The meeting also included attorneys representing Guantanamo detainees, as well as local activists from the Northern Ohio Coalition Against Torture, American Friends Service Committeeand others.

The Harvard legal team is seeking accountability for health care professionals who allegedly participated in abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and at other detention sites. The team hopes to launch a local Ohio campaign to press for an official investigation by the Ohio State Board of Psychology of retired Army Colonel Larry James, former senior psychologist for interrogation consulting teams in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, the Canadian Centre for International Justice, Physicians for Human Rights, and other groups have called for inquiries into Dr. James’ role on interrogation teams.

In 2008, Dr. James, a prominent Ohio-licensed psychologist, was named Dean of Wright State University’s School of Professional Psychology, where he continues to speak publicly about the role of psychology in interrogations.

On February 3-4, James will be a featured presenter at an executive workshop entitled, “The Psychology of Terrorism” sponsored by Wright State’s Institute for Defense Studies and Education.” The workshop, aimed primarily at government and law enforcement officials, costs $2,000 per person.

“Medical and mental health care professionals have an ethical responsibility to do no harm,” said CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland chapter executive director Julia A. Shearson. “We are concerned that someone facing such serious allegations of ethical misconduct would be presenting to government officials and doing so at taxpayers' expense.”

A public forum will be held in Columbus, Ohio at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, on the issue of accountability for healthcare professionals involved in detainee interrogation teams. The Harvard Law School Human Rights Program team, legal experts and psychologists will be on hand to answer questions.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Mount Clemens -- Local Muslim leaders say sheriff officials answered their questions today about the apparent suicide of a 22-year-old jail inmate, but they aren't yet ready to dismiss concerns of a possible homicide.

Mohammed Abdul-Fazal Chowdhury was found around 4 p.m. Friday in his cell at the Macomb County Jail. Authorities say he used a razor obtained through the jail commissary to sever his genitalia and slash his throat.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said those questioning the circumstances surrounding Chowdhury's death are waiting for findings from a custody death review board and the county prosecutor's office. They have also requested a copy of Chowdhury's autopsy report and are planning for an independent pathology review.

They hope to have answers within the next four to six weeks.

"It's a very bizarre case," said Walid, who represented one of several Metro Detroit advocacy groups at today's meeting arranged by the Hamtramck NAACP. "We are reserving judgment until all of the investigative reports are complete." (More)

Wayne County has refused to release the autopsy report of Luqman Ameen Abdullah, the Muslim leader from Detroit killed in a shootout with FBI agents seeking to arrest him.

The county denied on Wednesday a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Free Press that had asked for a copy of the autopsy report of Abdullah from the Wayne County medical examiner. Family members and others have raised questions about his shooting and are also seeking the report.

The deadline to release the report was Wednesday, but the county faxed a statement to the Free Press that said Dearborn Police has asked it not to release the autopsy report until “on or aboutJanuary 31.” (More)

Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies holds a news conference to discuss the report, "Religious Perceptions in America," which "reveals the views of Americans regarding religion, religiosity and tolerance with a special focus on U.S. views on Islam and Muslims."